Lal Bahadur

Lal Bahadur

When Lal Bahadur was a baby in Sindupalchowk, his father passed away, and when he was two his mother too passed away. Now eleven years old, he grew up in his paternal uncle’s house. He used to look after the cow and goats and graze them. He had a great wish to study and even went to school for 5/6 days but his uncle and aunt didn’t send him. What this orphan child really needed was love and proper guidance but they only scolded him and beat him. He had to fetch firewood and cut grass also. In this way his life was passing in misery.

One day, his elder sister on a pretext of bringing him to Kathmandu, took him straight to a carpet factory. His sister and brother-in-law also worked in the same Krishna carpet. Two days after arriving in Kathmandu they began to teach him to weave carpets. Within 10 days he learnt and he was made to weave carpets. The work was very difficult, his hands used to ache. Due to weakness he also had fever from time to time but they had to do the work. If he couldn’t do the work quickly enough then his brother-in-law used to beat him. Besides weaving carpets he also had to fetch water, cook food etc. Thinking of his troubles he felt like running away but at home also he had no one besides his grandmother. Thinking of the contempt and suffering at home he used to cry and do the work.

One day a Sir from the Center came and thought about bringing Lal Bahadur to the Center but his sister refused to send him. Then Lal Bahadur himself insisted on going. He is very eager to study so he began to study after coming to the Center. He began playing with friends. But here also some of his friends began to bully and beat him and he found his stay difficult. "Everything else is okay here. The ‘didis’ (elder sisters) and ‘bhauju’ (sister-in-law) love us, teach us and make us learn good things."

The last Dashain he went to meet his sister once and also stayed for 5/6 days at home. He thought that if stayed for many days then he would enjoy and wouldn’t feel like returning so he immediately came back to Kathmandu. But his sister, instead of taking him to the center took him straight to the carpet factory and made him weave carpets for 7/8 days. After that he said he would go himself and went to the Center with his friends. He likes to live at the Center but nowadays because of the behavior of his friends he wants to return immediately. They beat him and make fun of him but because of the love shown by the ‘didis’ and ‘bhauju’ and his desire to study he has stayed on.

In the long run, Lal Bahadur wants to buy a car and drive it.